1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, an image forming control apparatus, an image forming system and an image forming control program, and specifically relates to an improvement of a controlling technology to be employed in such a case that a computer issues an instruction for forming an image to an image forming apparatus or an image forming system.
2. Description of Related Art
A combined system, in which a paper sheet processing apparatus is coupled to an image forming apparatus, makes it possible to apply various kinds of paper sheet processing to the paper sheets on which images are already formed (hereinafter, referred to as image-bearing paper sheets or image-formed paper sheets) so as to output them in a book-bound state. In this case, by additionally coupling a new paper sheet processing apparatus, which has a new function, to the same image forming apparatus, it becomes possible to utilize a newly added paper sheet processing in addition to the conventional paper sheet processing.
In this connection, generally speaking, a computer is coupled to the image forming apparatus through a network, a connection cable or the like, so that a print job, including an image forming instruction and image data, is transmitted to the image forming apparatus from the computer concerned.
Further, various kinds of application programs for conducting image forming operations, for instance, an image forming control program, etc., are installed in the computer above-mentioned. Accordingly, the system is so constituted that the user operates the image forming control program currently executed in the computer to designate the paper sheet processing aforementioned, so that the computer outputs the print job, including the paper sheet processing above-designated, the image forming instruction and image data, to the image forming apparatus concerned.
Still further, with respect to the instructions to be issued from the computer and the controlling operations to be conducted in the image forming apparatus as above-mentioned, the related proposals are set forth in the Patent Documents as briefed as follows.
According to the invention recited in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication 2008-065467, at the initial occasion of the register processing, the user inputs a name of a type of paper sheet (hereinafter, referred to as a paper type name), formed as an arbitrarily arranged character string, and various kinds of attributes in regard to the kind of paper sheet, from the paper-sheet kind setting screen currently called. Successively, when the user issues a request of registration, a presence or absence of duplication between paper type names, which are managed in the paper-sheet managing tables, respectively including the default paper type names and the custom paper type names already set, and the paper type name inputted by the user, is detected by the apparatus side. Then, when detecting a presence of duplication of the paper type name as a result of the checking operation thereof, the apparatus displays an error message onto the operation panel without registering the paper type name, namely, only for the request of registration in which no duplication of the paper type name is detected, the apparatus registers the paper type name inputted by the user, into the paper-sheet managing table concerned. According to the above-mentioned feature, it becomes possible to solve the problem of setting error that may possibly occur in the apparatus side due to the duplication of the paper type name inputted into the apparatus by the user.
Further, according to the invention recited in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication 2007-114688, the paper sheet attribute storage section stores the paper sheet attribute inputted through the user interface section, therein, and the identifier attaching section automatically attaches an identifier thereto. Successively, at the time when the tray open/close detecting section detects the fact that the identifier of the paper sheet feeding tray is designated by the paper-sheet attribute setting section and the paper sheet feeding tray concerned is closed, the paper-sheet attribute validating section validates the setting of paper sheet attribute, corresponding to the above-designated identifier, as the setting for the paper sheet feeding tray concerned. Accordingly, in the image forming apparatus, it becomes possible to reduce a number of errors to be possibly committed by the user when setting the paper sheet attributes to a value as lower as possible, and it also becomes possible for the user to securely establish the paper sheet attributes even when the paper sheet feeding apparatus has been replaced with a new one. As a result, in the image forming apparatus, it is possible to securely guarantee the consistency between the paper sheet attributes established by the user and those of the paper sheets accommodated in the paper sheet feeding apparatus.
Still further, according to the invention recited in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication 2007-140786, in order to achieve the function with which the color copier is not provided, the controller apparatus is made to stand between the network to which the client terminal device and the color copier concerned. When receiving a recovery request message sent from the color copier, the concerned controller apparatus determines whether the recovery request message, which is to be sent back to the client terminal device serving as the sender of the print job, should represent the usage of the user paper-sheet name or that of the printer paper-sheet name, and then, transmits the recovery request message above-determined to the client terminal device concerned. According to the above-mentioned feature, in a case where the notification of the recording paper-sheet error is received from the network printer, and then, the recovery request message is transmitted to the client terminal device, it becomes possible to establish the usage of any one of the user recording paper-sheet name and the printer recording paper-sheet name for every kind of the recording paper sheet.
In this connection, in any one of the Patent Documents above-cited, the system is designed to prevent the paper sheets, which are to be employed in the image forming apparatus, from erroneous settings. However, with respect to the setting operation in such a case that a new function is added to the paper sheet processing apparatus or the like, none of the Patent Documents above-cited pays specific attention thereto.
Owing to the above-mentioned fact, in a case where an image forming control program, which does not support the new function, is employed, it is impossible to establish the new function. However, the latest version of the image forming control program, which fully supports the functions of the paper sheet processing apparatus, is not necessary installed into the computer side.
Concretely speaking, even though the paper sheet processing apparatus, having a new function, is coupled to the image forming apparatus, it is impossible to establish the new function due to a lack of items corresponding to the new function (such as a tub and/or an icon for setting the new function from the setting screen, or a setting screen for the new function itself), as far as an updated image forming control program, which can support the new function, is reinstalled into the computer side.
The present invention is achieved in view of the above-mentioned subjects, and one of the objects of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus, an image forming control apparatus, an image forming system and an image forming control program, each of which makes it possible to cope with an operation for setting an image forming operation and/or the paper sheet processing, which is not supported by an image forming control program currently installed into an external computer that transmits a print job including the image forming instructions and image data, to the image forming apparatus concerned.